Little things in life
by Yukina Mika
Summary: 24/2/2017. Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Comments are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

There was a noise. Someone was talking.

Squirrelkit squirmed as the noise disturbed her sleep. Blindly, she scented her way closer to her mother's belly, wanting to bury her face into her sweet milk-scented fur and block the annoying sound away. Bumping into her sister who made a mew of protest, she quickly mewed back an apology before turning back to her task and eventually, successfully buried her nose into her mother's soft fur.

"Isn't she adorable?" It was that voice again. Ferncloud's voice… Squirrelkit was not amused. She heard a pleased purr rumbling in her mother's throat.

"I want to sleep." She raised her squeaky voice, trying to get a word in and hopefully, they would let her get back to her precious nap.

She felt her mother's soft tongue licked the top of her head and Leafkit squealed in jealousy. "You two should open your eyes soon. After that, I doubt you will ever want to sleep again." Sandstorm meowed teasingly.

Squirrelkit pouted before an idea popped up in her head. "If I open my eyes now, can you be quiet and let me go back to my nap?" She offered quietly, already rubbing her paws on her closed eyes, readying to open them so that she could get back to her sleep.

Slowly, she stretched open her eyes, wincing against the brightest of the light piercing through the bramble roof. It took a moment or two for her to regain her sight as she was temporary blinded by the light.

When the world around her sharpened; she let out a loud squeal of surprise. "It's huge!" She exclaimed in her high pitched voice, eyes darting around, studying the nursery.

There were brambles supporting the roof and though they sheltered the cats from the weather, Squirrelkit could see through some gaps, which were strangely blue in her opinion. There were a few cats in the nursery, Ferncloud, a gray with dark flecks she-cat bathed in milk scent, was curled up in her nest with two kits who was near six moons old, peering over her shoulder.

Brightheart, a white with ginger patches she-cat with a face that didn't look like Sandstorm's or Ferncloud's, was grooming her little white kit, who was ironically named Whitekit in their nest, she smelled quite different from Ferncloud and Sandstorm, a mixture of milk and a very familiar scent, which Squirrelkit could remember as her father's from the times he had visited them before, before she had opened her eyes, though it wasn't as good as his. Sandstorm said it was because Brightheart's mate was kin of her father so they smelled quite familiar.

"Your eyes are so green." Whitekit squealed in pleasure from her nest, dodging her mother's tongue to get closer to the nest where Squirrelkit crouched in with her mother and sister. "I bet Leafkit's eyes are green too! Like Sandstorm's and yours."

Squirrelkit was so busying studying her mother that she ignored her white denmate. No cat could blame her. It was the first time she saw Sandstorm after all. "You are so big!" She meowed in awe as she had to crane her head up to see her mother's face.

Sandstorm was a big pale ginger cat with really pale stripes and kind green eyes which held an invisible strength in them that had Squirrelkit blinking admiringly at her. Her mother was the picture of perfection.

"My, aren't you a little Firestar?" Her mother chuckled before bending down to nudge Leafkit, a bundle of brown tabby fur, curled up near her belly. "Your sister has opened her eyes, Leafkit. You should open yours soon." The queen assured her lightly, before turning to Squirrelkit again with a proud gleam in her eyes.

"Can I go out now?" Squirrelkit asked, still in awe at how big things were when she had actually seen them, not scented. "I want to see what is outside!" She meowed excitedly, her fluffy tail puffed up with thrill.

Sandstorm nuzzled her fondly before replying. "No, not until your sister opens her eyes." She said sternly before drawing Squirrelkit closer to her belly with her sister. "And let's give you the nap you were meowing about earlier."

Pouting, Squirrelkit closed her eyes; envisioning what it would be like when she and Leafkit finally leave the nursery. Somehow, she fell asleep in the middle of her day-dreaming.

* * *

Noises woke Squirrelkit up, again. Oh, and a tiny paw poking her in the side. It must be Leafkit.

Grumpily, she cracked opened her eyes and met with clear amber ones staring at her. It took a moment for it to sink in that Leafkit had finally opened her eyes as well until Squirrelkit squealed and looked at Sandstorm hopefully.

"Can we go out now?" She asked, nudging her sister for support, who nodded along enthusiastically. "Can we? Can we?" She started bouncing up and down, hoping the queens would find it noisy enough to send them outside. She had heard Spiderkit and Shrewkit being sent outside by Ferncloud whenever they got too noisy.

Sandstorm purred as she got up, shaking the moss from her pelt. "Of course! Run ahead you two, I will be out with you in a heartbeat." The queen meowed warmly and began to do a swift grooming for herself.

Buzzing with excitement, the two sisters stumbled outside of the nursery through the narrow entrance, hardly caring to groom themselves. Whitekit was padding behind them, determined to keep an eye on her youngest denmates while Spiderkit and Shrewkit were already outside, stalking leaves.

Blinking, Squirrelkit studied the vast space in front of her eyes. It was so big! And there were so many cats, all focused on their own task. There was dark brown tabby near a fallen tree with a golden brown tabby, both struggling with some branches in their jaws. There was also a heap of birds and mice, where cats occasionally stopped by to deposit the prey they caught, which was exactly what a light gray tom was doing.

Beside her, Leafkit gasped, astonished. "It is so big!" She sounded giddy with excitement, her little brown tail waving happily behind her. "Where do you think our father is, Squirrelkit?" She asked, scanning the place for the father they had only scented before.

Whitekit laid her tail on the younger kit's back with a _mrrw_ of amusement. Sandstorm slid out of the nursery and sat next to her kits, purring amusedly as she caught the last part of their conversation. "Your father is a very important cat." The queen meowed lovingly at her two daughters.

Whitekit nodded eagerly. "Yes! He is the Clan leader!" She meowed proudly. "Brightheart says he is my kin, you know? Because Cloudtail is his kin too!" The little white kit bounced up and down on her paws.

Sandstorm rested her muzzle briefly on the white kit's head. "Why don't you show them around?" She suggested warmly. "I would like to have a word with Firestar without kits around." She ignored the pouts she got from her daughters.

Whitekit nodded importantly as she ushered Squirrelkit and her sister away from the ginger queen. "Come on, let me show you the apprentice den." The white kit meowed, trailing toward a clump of ferns behind a tree stump with two kits padding after her. "When you are apprentices, you will sleep in here." Whitekit noted warmly as the kits trembled with excitement, their fluffy tails were stuck up high in the air.

"When can we be apprentices?" Squirrelkit asked eagerly, peering inside the den, her small nose twitching as new scents hit her nose. The scents weren't stale. Clearly the apprentices were only out not long ago.

"When you two reach six moons." Whitekit promised, already drawing them away with her tail. Squirrelkit whined, wanting to explore the apprentice den but Leafkit followed their older denmate quietly, prompting her sister pouted and padded after the two kits.

Whitekit led them into a tunnel and stopped before a bush that smelled of cats. Her white tail waving excitedly behind her as a white tom slid out of the bush. With a squeal, Whitekit bounded over to him, leaving Squirrelkit and Leafkit looking after her in confusion.

"What was that?" Squirrelkit pouted as she watched the white kit touched nose with the tom, mewing happily. She nudged her sister lightly, making the brown tabby kit looked at her with her head titled. "Let's go without her."

Leafkit started meowing protests as her sister nosed her away. "But Sandstorm told Whitekit to show us around!" Her little sister wailed as Squirrelkit tried to push her into the tunnel. "I don't want to get Whitekit into trouble!"

Apparently, Leafkit's wailing had caught Whitekit and the tom's attention as Whitekit stepped between the two, separating Squirrelkit and her sister. "Squirrelkit, don't push your sister!" Whitekit chided them as a mother would chide her kits before nosing the two of them toward the big white tom. "Cloudtail! Meet Squirrelkit and Leafkit!" She announced cheerfully.

From Squirrelkit's point of view, Cloudtail was big! A little smaller than Sandstorm but regardless, he was big. His fur looked so fluffy and clean, like Whitekit, that Squirrelkit had half a mind to ask him for some fur to line her nest with. However, he didn't have green eyes like his daughter nor did Brightheart, which made Squirrelkit wondered how Whitekit got her green eyes.

"Firestar's kits, not tiny scraps of fur anymore." Cloudtail nodded, unimpressed. "At least you look better than you did a few sunrises ago." At this, he flicked his ear in annoyance. "But still noisy." He grumbled before turning to his daughter and gave her a small lick before padding away. "If you are looking for Firestar, I reckon he is beneath the Highrock with Graystripe." He called over his shoulder as he was about to disappeared into the tunnel. "He is quite easy to spot, being the only dark ginger cat in the Clan. Just look for some cat like that bushy tailed nuisance."

Leafkit blinked after the white tom. Her amber eyes were round with surprise. "He is so rude!" She pouted at Whitekit, who brushed her tail softly against her denmate's flank. "He called us tiny scraps of fur and called Squirrelkit a nuisance!" She wailed sadly.

Squirrelkit pressed closer to her sister while Whitekit comforted the brown tabby. It was hard to image that the rude white tom was Whitekit's father. He seemed so unlike her gentle denmate, personality wise. "Don't worry, Leafkit." She meowed to her sister. "I will make sure he will never be rude to you again."

With that, she marched toward the tunnel, her nose twitching the picked up the white tom's scent and followed it into the clearing. Her eyes fixed on the white tom beside the heap of birds and mice, talking with a dusky brown cat. Determinedly, she marched over to the tom, her pelt puffed up, and ready for a confrontation.

"Hey!" She yowled, head-butting the white cat, but as she was too small, seemed to be nudging him instead. It took a moment but as soon as she got his attention, she jumped back and made herself look twice her size. "How dare you say those awful things to Leafkit!" She howled, hearing her sister's little pawsteps approaching her and felt her pressing into her flank.

"Hush, Squirrelkit!" Her sister hissed before turning to the white warrior. "I will get her away from you in a heartbeat." She meowed hastily, trying to nudge her sister away.

Squirrelkit stood her ground, shaking her sister off before turning to Cloudtail with a growl. "Well? Are you going to give her a nice apology?" She demanded, growing angrier and angrier as amusement danced in Cloudtail's blue eyes.

A purr rumbling in the warrior's throat, making Squirrelkit felt like yowling with rage and frustration. "You better get back to the nursery, kit." He meowed with a lash of his tail. "A fluffy bundle of fur like you could be trampled on by unsuspecting apprentices and warriors."

Squirrelkit growled deeply, bunching her hindlegs together, ready to pounce on the white tom until a tail snaked itself across her flank, drawing her away from the tom. "Let me at him! He was rude to Leafkit!" She protested fiercely as Sandstorm bundled her kits together with her tail.

"Squirrelkit, behave yourself!" Sandstorm scolded the little ginger kit who defiantly met her mother's eyes. "What would your father think about this? Arguing with one of the senior warriors?" The pale ginger queen growled; ushering the kits to the nursery, ignoring her kits' protests, which were mostly Squirrelkit's as Leafkit trotted to the nursery with her head down, tail trailing behind her.

The warriors in the clearing looked on with amusement as Sandstorm marched her two kits into the nursery, Whitekit trailed embarrassedly toward Brightheart who stood near the entrance of the nursery, whiskers twitching amusedly.

* * *

Firestar came by to meet his mate and kits later with a plump vole dangling from his jaws. He nodded to Goldenflower, who purred amusedly as the dedicated tom, who ducked his head embarrassedly, hurrying toward his mate, who watched him with twinkles in her green eyes.

Squirrelkit was tumbling with her sister, growling softly as they played until Sandstorm shifted and she scented a familiar smell. She untangled herself from Leafkit, fur bristling as she stared at the strange tom who was touching noses with her mother and sharing tongues with casually. "Hey, what are you doing?" She demanded with narrowed eyes.

The tom was larger than Squirrelkit with darker stripes ran across his sleek ginger pelt. His eyes were green, a few shades darker than Sandstorm's and Whitekit's. And Squirrelkit hissed when she heard a purr rumbling in his throat as he gazed lovingly at Sandstorm.

Firestar looked down at the ginger she-kit, who had been tumbling with her sister a few heartbeats ago and an amused purr rumbling in his throat as he saw Sandstorm's fiery spirit inside the small kit. Her sister, however, stared at him with confusion, head cocked to one side, her gaze searching. She looked much like his sister's Princess, who was also a light brown tabby with white chest and paws, though she didn't have Princess's brilliant green eyes. Instead, she had amber eyes which none of them knew where she had inherited them from.

"Hello, little ones." He murmured softly with pride flickering in his green eyes. Leafkit and Squirrelkit were the most adorable kits Firestar had ever seen and to be honest, he couldn't think of another queen who looked half as beautiful, inside and outside, as Sandstorm in that moment.

Squirrelkit spit, shielding her sister from the tom, puffing up her fur until she was twice her size. "Don't you dare hello us! How dare you do that with my mother? You are not mates! Just wait until Firestar knows about this!" She hissed daringly, twitching her short whiskers in annoyance as Sandstorm meowed with laughter.

The tom looked taken back for a moment but he recovered quickly, a purr rumbling in his throat. His tail twitched happily behind him as he gazed at the tiny kit. "Little one, I am sure that it is within my right to be affectionate with my mate, isn't it?"

Leafkit pushed pass her sister, approaching the tom cautiously, her little pink nose twitching as she sniffed at his pelt warily. "You do smell familiar." She mumbled softly as she drew away, padding back toward her sister and pressed herself closer to Squirrelkit's flank.

"You are Firestar?" Squirrelkit meowed, glancing at her amused mother, whose whiskers twitched happily as she curled herself around her two kits.

The tom purred as he leaned down to nuzzle her gently. "Yes, Squirrelkit." He replied amusedly as the small kit leaped away to avoid contact with him and puffed out her ginger fur, growling in her throat, thrusting her sister behind her while Leafkit let out a meow of protest.

"Squirrelkit!" Leafkit squeaked, pushing against her sister. "What are you doing? He is our father!" She frantically smoothed down her sister's pelt with her tongue, looking up at Sandstorm worriedly between a few licks. "Sandstorm, do something…"

Squirrelkit glared at the tom. "I did nothing wrong! That mangy-pelted mouse-brained tom was rude to Leafkit!" She snarled, her neck fur bristling despite Leafkit's effort. Her sister was so small and delicate. How could Cloudtail say those things to her? How could he hurt her feelings?

"Cloudtail is rude to everyone." Her father retorted, meeting her green eyes with his own. He flicked his ear when he heard a meaningful cough from Brightheart. "Well, Brightheart and Whitekit are the only ones who haven't felt his ire." He amended as the white-and-ginger queen lifted her head proudly; her white kit ducked her head shyly.

"So?" Squirrelkit demanded, pressing against her tabby sister protectively. No cat was allowed to hurt her precious littermate. "If he does it again, I will be happy to give him a few scratched ears." She flexed her fluffy paws, half wondering if she could even claw a cat when she had only opened her eyes for less than one sunrise.

Firestar purred as he flopped down next to his mate, nuzzling her fondly. "We have such brave and thoughtful kits! They will be great warriors one day, like their mother." He murmured, obviously pleased, while Squirrelkit meowing protests as her parents shared a loving look between them.

Sandstorm leaned on her mate, eyes shining with happiness. "Though they need to learn some disciplines first." She meowed, a little too brightly as Leafkit gently nuzzling to her side, Squirrelkit pouted and pressed against her side.

His mate nodded, green eyes shining brightly. "I am sure they will." He let out a _mrrw_ of amusement, his tail flickered back and forth. "After all, you are their mother." Lovingly, he drew his tongue over her ear, watching their kits meowing happily.

Life couldn't be better.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone was talking…

"-see her. Brightheart, when can we leave?"

That voice… Whitekit would know it anywhere. It was her father's. He had been here often enough for her to remember his voice, how he smelled and what he looked like.

Yes, she had opened her eyes three sunrises ago, when her father had visited her mother and her with a fat squirrel. It was the best decision she had ever made. There were so much to see and so much to learn as well. And her parents were so proud that they had both showered her with caresses and licks, as if she was a gift from StarClan.

Well, her parents, especially her mother, had often told her that. She remembered always being showered with affection and love, her mother curled around her, her father crouching nearby, whispering sweet things to her, their voices laced with awe and tenderness.

Yawning, she cracked opened her eyes, blinking them several times, only to see Cloudtail, her father, sharing tongue with her mother, Brightheart. As she stretched, she saw her father drawing his tongue gently over the scarred part of her mother's face.

She had heard what Spiderkit and Shrewkit said about her mother. They told her that Ferncloud told them that Brightheart had fought against dogs in the past and it was the dogs who had left her face scarred and hard to look at. Well, at least that was what they could say before Whitekit huffed and told them that her mother was the most beautiful queen in the Clans. Spiderkit had snorted and argued that, no, Brightheart wasn't pretty, prompting Whitekit to growl at him threatingly while Shrewkit tried to stop his brother from being claw by their much smaller denmate.

The truth was, Whitekit had never met another queen who was as pretty as her mother. True that her face was horribly scarred, as the others, except her father, had pointed out, but to Whitekit, that was the proof of her mother's bravery. And of course, even though her face scared many cats, Brightheart had a shining soul, being one of the kindest cats in ThunderClan.

"Whitekit, did we wake you up?" Brightheart gently passed her tongue over her daughtesr's fluffy white pelt, finally drawing her attention away from her mate. "I am so sorry if we did, dear."

"No you didn't." She assured her mother, licking her paw and began washing her muzzle. "Does Papa have to go somewhere?" She asked while smoothing her whiskers, watching as Brightheart and Cloudtail exchanging a look.

"No, no, dear Whitekit." Cloudtail assured her lightly, his tail thumped softly against the ground as he gazed lovingly at her. "I am not going anywhere, unless your mother and you come with me." He meowed.

Whitekit had heard Shrewkit complained that Cloudtail was so rude before Ferncloud sternly told him not to say things about warriors. Spiderkit had, for once, kept his mouth shut but Whitekit knew he shared his brother's complaint. Ferncloud had looked apologetically at Brightheart and Whitekit before she turned back to her own kits while Sandstorm watched curiously from her nest, belly swollen with the kits she was carrying. She was mates with Firestar and he was Cloudtail's kin so the kits Sandstorm was bearing would be Whitekit's kin too. Privately, Whitekit wondered if one of them was white like her. Then Spiderkit and Shrewkit wouldn't tease her that she would be a bad hunter because of her white pelt.

Whitekit had also noticed her father snapped at other cats a lot. However, he had never raised his voice at her mother or her. Cloudtail always addressed them gently, and caringly while he snapped at every cat inside and outside of the Clan, including the leaders.

"Cloudtail, I told you I love the idea but Whitekit is too young to go out of camp." Brightheart sighed exasperatedly as her mate frowned, his tail lashing lightly behind him. The white-and-ginger queen gazed fondly at her kit while Whitekit looked at her with confusion in her green eyes.

"Out of camp?" She echoed her mother's words with a delighted tone. Her fluffy tail waved excitedly behind her as she gazed expectantly at her parents. "I can go out before I am apprenticed?" She asked; a little prickle of doubt edged in her meow.

Cloudtail turned to his mate with a satisfied look. "Looks like our daughter is ready to go." He meowed teasingly while Brightheart flattened her ears, playfully glaring at him with her one good eye. He leaned down and touched his muzzle to Whitekit's ear. "We are going to meet my mother." He murmured in her ears, knowing that Brightheart heard but the queen just painted a confused look on her face to the amusement of their kit while the white kit nodded happily, her tail curling up in pleasure.

"Are you going to share with me?" The queen demanded playfully, flicking her tail at her mate and kit, blue eye lit up mischievously as the two flattened their ears and let out a startled meow when Whitekit pounced on her, nuzzling her fiercely.

"Nope!" The white kit meowed brightly, poking her mother with her tiny paws. "It is our little secret, Mama." She let out an amused _mrrw_ , glancing at her father who snorted when Brightheart pretended to cower.

"Oh, oh, get this ferocious warrior off me!" Brightheart moaned dramatically, flailing her paws wildly as the little kit purred deeply in her throat. Cloudtail watched his mate and daughter fondly, bliss shone in his blue eyes and he soon joined in their little game.

* * *

The next morning, Brightheart lead Whitekit out of the nursery toward Cloudtail, who was waiting by the entrance with Firestar, conversing softly under their breath. The camp was buzzing like any other day, obvious to the two whispering cats.

Frostfur was sunning herself by the elder's den while Sootpaw was practicing battle moves with Thornclaw in the clearing. Cinderpelt limping toward Dappletail who was lazily sharing tongues with Speckletail in a spot of sunlight. Mousefur and her patrol padded pass the two cats at the entrance and deposited their prey at the fresh-kill pile.

"Cloudtail, we are ready." Brightheart called as the mother and daughter approached the two. She dipped her head to Firestar who returned with a dip of his own before entwining her tail with Cloudtail's plump one.

"Come on!" Whitekit whined, kneading the earth with her tiny paws, blinking hopefully at her father. "I want to go now!" She meowed, looking longingly through the entrance, envisioning what Cloudtail's mother looked like. Was she a white queen with a soft, white pelt like her son or did she possess a fiery ginger pelt like Firestar? What were her eyes like? Were they blue like Cloudtail's or green like Firestar? Whitekit couldn't wait to find out.

Firestar purred as he leaned down and gently touched her head with his muzzle, green eyes sparkling good-naturedly. "Off you go then." He meowed, turning to Cloudtail with a longing look. "Say hello to Princess for me. I would love to see her again but…" He trailed off, eyes stopped at the bramble covered nursery with a sigh.

Whitekit blinked, not knowing why her leader sounded so torn. Suddenly, it hit her. Oh! "Are you worried about Sandstorm?" She piped up, her voice tinted with curiosity while the ginger tom stared at her with a horrified look. "Don't worry. She will be fine." She reassured him as gentle as a mother would to her kit.

Brightheart stifled a _mrrw_ of laughter while Cloudtail snorted as Firestar flattened his ears, looking back and for as if he was scared of something. "Hush!" The leader growled, neck fur bristling before he turned to the white kit with horrified green eyes. "Don't ever suggest that to Sandstorm." He warned, watching the kit as she blinked in confusion.

"What? I know she can take care of herself." The kit pouted, glancing at the nursery fondly. "You don't need to worry about her. She is a great cat who will give the Clan beautiful kits who will probably be as courageous and determine like her." The kit finished her speech with a lash of her tail.

Whitekit honestly liked Sandstorm. She was fun to be with and she was good with kits. She often played moss ball with Whitekit even Spiderkit and Shrewkit were out hunting leaves. And of course, Sandstorm was fierce! She stood up to every cat. Even to Firestar and he was the leader. Whitekit wanted to be fearless like her when she grew up. And of course, she wanted to be as brave and kind and beautiful as her mother too.

"I know she will." Firestar meowed softly, giving the white kit a swift lick. "She is snappish at the moment so it wouldn't be wise to provoke her." The ginger leader sighed before turning to Cloudtail. "I will take my kits to Princess after they are kitted and strong enough to travel. And if Sandstorm doesn't claw my ears off…" The last part was mumbled under his breath as he ushered the little family out of camp when Sandstorm slid out of the nursery.

Whitekit purred as the leader glanced at his mate. Brightheart brushed her tail along his flank as they left. "We will be back soon." She promised. "And if we can, we will bring back prey."

* * *

Cloudtail took the lead, with Brightheart nudging their kit behind, eyes scanning the forest. Even when the Clans were at peace, there was no reason why they shouldn't keep their ears opened, especially when they had their kit with them.

Whitekit, however, looked around in astonishment, unaware of her parents' worries. She scanned the Twolegplace ahead with wide green eyes. "Wow, this is so cool!" She exclaimed excitedly, waving her fluffed out tail high, whiskers twitching with enthusiasm.

Brightheart purred as she nudged her kit playfully. "This is your first time out of camp, isn't it?" She asked, flicking her daughter's ear with her tail. Suddenly, her eye grew sad as she picked her way after her mate and daughter.

Whitekit, sensing her mother's change of mood, pressed against the queen worriedly. "What is wrong, Mama?" She asked, worry laced in her meow as her mother looked at the Twoleg thing that separated the Twolegplace from the forest.

Sighing, Brightheart nuzzled her kit tenderly. "Nothing is wrong, my dear. Let's keep going." She meowed, looking up only to meet with Cloudtail's concerned eyes. "I am fine." She hissed, taking the lead with her tail held high.

Whitekit winced. It was the first time she had heard her mother so angry. And sad too… But why would she be sad and angry at the same time? Earlier, she seemed so pleased to take her to meet Cloudtail's mother. Was there something she didn't know?

"Brightheart!" Cloudtail gathered the white kit with a sweep of his tail and gingerly trailed after his mate. He muttered softly under his breath, so soft that even when Whitekit strained to listen, she couldn't even hear a word.

Eyes round with concern, she looked up at Cloudtail. "What is wrong with Mama?" She meowed fearfully. Her mother seemed so nervous, pacing near the Twoleg thing, waiting for her mate and daughter, fur bristling as her only eyes darted around.

Cloudtail soothed her flank with his tail as they approached the queen. "I will talk to her." He promised before wounding himself around Brightheart, purring soothingly. "Don't worry Brightheart. I will protect you." He meowed, nuzzling his mate fondly.

Whitekit looked at her parents with admiration. Her parents seemed to be attached to each other. They seemed to share everything. She wondered if she could ever find a mate who would love her as much as her parents loved each other.

Brightheart looked at her mate with such pain in her eyes that Whitekit winced and she pushed her muzzle into her mother's fur. "Can you protect me from the whispers?" Brightheart murmured so softly that Whitekit nearly missed it. "The last time she saw me, she jumped in like she had seen a badger." She meowed, for once, her voice was bitter and she seemed exhausted, like she had given up fighting.

A purr rumbling in Cloudtail's throat as he gently groomed his mate's fur. "It will be fine." He insisted, glancing at his daughter, who met his eyes squarely. "She will get used to it."

Whitekit nodded. Though she wanted to meet Cloudtail's mother, she loved Brightheart fiercely. No one should hate her mother because of her scars. They were just proof that her mother was a brave cat. If Princess couldn't see that, Whitekit wouldn't want anything to do with her.

They stayed like that for a while, taking comfort from being close to their loved ones. Whitekit pressed close to her mother's flank while her parents curled around each other, purring contentedly. Suddenly, Cloudtail untangled himself from the pile of fur and let out a loud yowl at the direction of the Twolegplace.

Startled, Whitekit blinked curiously at her father before feeling her mother nudging her toward the Twoleg thing. Scared, she let out a small whimper and stared at her with fear in her green eyes though the queen only assured her with a low purr in her throat.

"Don't be afraid." Cloudtail soothed his kit with a brisk lick before turning his attention to the Twoleg thing. His tail lashing in anticipation and nervousness as a small shape emerged from one of the Twoleg's dens nearby before launching itself up the Twoleg thing.

With a gasp, Whitekit recognized the thing as a cat, a small brown tabby with white paws and chest. With a cry, she landed safely in front of the Clan cats. Whitekit's nose twitched as the cat's scent drift into her small pink nose. She smelled so unlike the cats in ThunderClan, with a mixture of bad-smelling things that weren't in the forest. However, under that, was a smell that she had grown familiar. A touch of the smell that clung to her father's pelt as well as Firestar's…

"Whitekit, meet Princess, my mother." Cloudtail murmured, touching his nose softly against the tabby cat who purred in pleasure as she returned the gesture. "And Princess, meet Whitekit, my daughter." He grunted as the she-cat started to cover his face and neck with loving licks

The brown tabby had pulled herself away from covering Cloudtail's face and neck with licks and met Whitekit's green eyes with her own amber ones that seemed to glow with affection. "Cloudtail told me so much about you." She meowed warmly before dipping her head to Brightheart. "I am so glad that my son has found his own family in the forest with a loving mate and a cute kit." She sniffed a _mrrw_ of laughter while Brightheart ducked her head embarrassedly.

Whitekit blinked her green eyes at the she-cat. Her tail puffed up in excitement as she wound herself around the tabby. "You've heard about me?" She squeaked, excitement building inside her at the thought of finding out what had her father's mother heard about her.

Princess meowed with laughter in her meowed. "Of course! Cloudtail was meowing up a storm about how adorable you are two sunrises ago before Firestar came and dragged him away for a patrol." He glanced affectionately at her son, who flattened his ears playfully. "He kept telling me how beautiful you are, both you and your mother." Her tone was heart-felt as she directed her warm amber gaze at Brightheart, who shyly buried her head into her mate's fur.

"He mentioned me?" Brightheart's meow came out, muffled by her mate's fluffy white pelt. The queen acted as if she was a nervous apprentice facing a Clan leader as she turned her blue eye on the brown tabby.

"Of course!" Princess meowed like it was as obvious as the sky was blue. "You are his mate and a brilliant cat. Why shouldn't he bring you up?" She sounded puzzled as she gazed at Brightheart. Suddenly, her voice grew sharp. For a moment, she sounded like her son when he was in one of his moods. "Did some cat mistreat you?"

"What?" Brightheart spluttered with her eye wide as Whitekit pressed herself against her mother's fur, bristling in disbelief. Who would mistreat Brightheart? She was such a kind and thoughtful cat! Surely she deserved much better than being mistreated!

"Princess, no cat is mistreating me." The queen assured the tabby as she turned to nuzzle her kit. "Cloudtail would shred them if they even glance at me wrongly." She meowed brightly, a little too brightly perhaps but Princess purred and shot her son an approving look while Whitekit let out a soft _mrrw_ of laughter.

Flattening his ear, Cloudtail gave his chest a few embarrassed looks. "You should have seen Firestar when Thornclaw suggested Sandstorm leading a patrol after she announced she was expecting." He muttered, wanting to draw the attention away.

Princess rolled her eyes as she gave Whitekit's pelt a sniff. "My brother worries too much…" She murmured to herself. "He is lucky to have Sandstorm to keep him in line." With a sigh, she turned to Brightheart. "Like him, my son is lucky to have you to look after him." She meowed, watching Brightheart looked away embarrassedly before giving Whitekit a brisk lick. "I shall be waiting for the good news."

Dipping his head, Cloudtail wound himself around his mother, touching her nose with his. "You will hear about it when Whitekit becomes an apprentice." He promised before nodding at Brightheart. "It is time." He meowed briskly as Whitekit pouted. She did not want to go back so soon.

"Don't sulk." Brightheart advised as she nudged her kit into the trees with Cloudtail trailing behind. "You will see her again." She meowed as Whitekit turned around, only in time to see the brown bundle of fur that was Princess leaped up the Twoleg thing before disappearing into the Twolegplace.


	3. Chapter 3

Stirring in her nest, Sorreltail was a little bit concern when she didn't feel or scent Brakenfur near her. Instead, she felt smaller bundles of fur burrowing into her stomach. Cracking her eyes opened, she found herself in a bramble covered den. The nursery… For a moment, she was confused until everything came crashing down on her. Kits… Badgers… Cinderpelt's death… The news of Sootfur's death…

A thin wail rose in her throat as she quickly scanned the nursery, hoping to find her mate. The sound of his meow and his scent always calm her down best and she needed him here. To know that he was safe as well, that he hadn't left her to join StarClan…

Her wail woke the kits burrowing into her stomach and at once, she leaned down to comfort them with meows and licks. Her heart was torn when she realized she couldn't leave her kits to find her mate as they needed her warmth, comfort and milk.

Looking up when she heard rustling sound of someone or something slid into the nursery, her lips twisted into a snarl, she was rewarded a startled Daisy, whose cream colored pelt puffed up, ears flattened to her head.

Blinking, Sorreltail meowed out a small apology before giving her chest a few licks in embarrassment. However, Daisy soon smoothed down her fur and gave the tortoiseshell an amused yet concern look. Weirdly, the cream furred queen's kits were nowhere in sight.

Seeing the confused look on the other queen's face, Daisy let out a small _mrrw_ of laughter. "My kits aren't tied to me at the tails, you know." She meowed with a twitch of her plump tail. "Berrykit is outside, leading his littermates on their quest to annoy the warriors. Especially Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight. Berrykit absolutely adores him."

Despite the numb she felt from all the bad news she remembered, she couldn't help but meowed with laughter when she pictured the scene. "That would provide great practices for them so they know what to do when they finally decide to have kits."

"And, what is bothering you?" The cream pelted queen queried gently, approaching the tortoiseshell-and-white queen to give her a motherly lick. "I know I am the last cat who should do this as I am not a Clan cat but the least I can do is to listen to your concern."

A small purr rumbling in her throat, she dipped her head thankfully to Daisy. "Thank you Daisy. Where is Brackenfur? He is a golden brown tabby. Well, there are two cats in the Clan who fit the description but Brackenfur's pelt is a bit darker than his brother's and his eyes are amber while Thornclaw has blue eyes." She spoke quickly, frowning when Daisy twitched her whiskers in amusement.

Slowly, Daisy nodded her head. "Yes, I have seen him. I think he was repairing the warriors' den the last time I saw him. He is working late again. I heard Dustpelt telling him to go to his nest earlier." She narrowed her eyes in concern. "I will tell Ferncloud to stay out of the nursery for a while so you can have a heat-to-heart with your mate." With a wink, she slid out of the nursery.

Sorreltail watched as the plump tail of Daisy disappeared through the entrance before she turned to her kits, burrowing close to her, yawning before letting out squeaks of hunger. Nudging a stray kit, Cinderkit, into the curve of her body she looked on lovingly as her kits began suckling, their tiny paws pressed into her belly.

Privately, she wondered when they would open her eyes. Cinderkit had started stirring up troubles with her brother, Molekit a sunrise ago. They had been nosing their way around and nearly fall out of their nest. Sorreltail shuddered to think of the troubles they would get into when they opened their eyes. Fortunately, Honeykit and Poppykit seemed far calmer than their littermates as they huddled close to their mother, meowing to each other while the other two tumbling around.

The rustling sound from the entrance told her someone was coming in. Yanking her gaze away from the little scraps of fur, she found Brackenfur stumbling toward her. He seemed to be asleep on his paws, tripping over his own paws a few times before he reached her and gently touched her ear with his muzzle.

"I heard you haven't rested." Sorreltail began, beginning to cover her mate's face with careful licks. He crouched down beside the nest and let her groomed his head, a purr rumbling in his throat as he closed his eyes and soaked in the scent of milk on his mate's fur, her warmth and the mewling of their kits.

"Someone has to do it." The tom retorted lightly, entwining his tail with his mate's. His eyes sparkled as they rested on the suckling kits. "When do you think they will open their eyes?" He asked as one of the kits crane her head up and sniffed the air before mewing out loud.

Sorreltail glared playfully at her mate and swiped a sheathed paw in his direction. "Look what you have done." She pouted before giving the little kit a small lick. "Give them a few sunrises and they will be padding around the camp with their tails in the air." Her eyes narrowed when she found her mate trying to get onto his paws. "Where do you think you're going?"

The tom blinked, clearly confused at her tone. "To the warriors' den to give Dustpelt a paw, of course. He will never get it done without help." He meowed fretfully, kneading the ground with his paws.

Sorreltail sighed as her tail lashed behind her. Brackenfur sometimes worried about others too much. One of these days, he would collapse with exhaustion. "Mouse-brain! I've heard from Daisy that you've been working non-stop." She meowed affectionately. "Settle down for a nap before throwing yourself into repairing the camp."

Letting out a tired sigh, Brackenfur settled down onto his belly. "Fine. For you…" Affectionately, he gave her ear a loving lick before burying his muzzle into her pelt. "Wake me up later…" Heartbeats later, he was snoring peacefully while Sorreltail watched over with a warm gleam in her eyes.

Purring, she glanced back at the kits burrowing themselves into her warm belly. "Sleep well…" She breathed as she lowered head onto her paws. Eyes closed, listening to the steady breathing of her mate and the warmth of her kits, Sorreltail couldn't ask for more.

* * *

Stiffling a _mrrw_ of laughter, Sorreltail watched as Cinderkit pounced on her brother, mewing with joy as the tom growled and tried to shook her off. Poppykit and Honeykit huddled close by, watching their littermates tumbling around with wide eyes.

"Kits!" She meowed warningly as Molekit threw Cinderkit away with what she believed was too much strength. The gray kit shook herself as she scrambled back to her paws and crouched into a hunter crouch, whiskers twitching as she watched her littermate pouted.

With a caterwaul, Cinderkit hauled herself at her brother, who let out a squeal as they began play-fighting again.

"My, aren't they cheerful?" Daisy cooed as she laid in her nest, calmly grooming her cream colored pelt. She seemed so cheerful the past few sunrises, which confused Sorreltail. Daisy didn't seem happy when her kits left the nursery but somehow, she had brightened up and always purring like a she-cat in a courtship.

"Well, they are kits." The tortoiseshell replied, glancing fondly at her kits. "Have you seen how they have Rainwhisker warped around their paws?" She meowed joyously as she remembered how often her brother came to the nursery to play with them and brought the juiciest fresh-kill.

The other queen meowed with laughter, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "Only a blind cat can miss that! Brackenfur and Rainwhisker clearly adore them." The queen blinked affectionately at the kits. "Your kits will grow up into fierce warriors." A purr rumbling in the queen's throat.

"You seem happy." Sorreltail commented. She winked suggestively. "Is there something I should know?" She cooed teasingly as the cream pelted queen gave herself a few licks.

Daisy ducked her head embarrassedly. "Spiderleg is courting me." She began softly, eyes flickering to the entrance of the nursery as if she was afraid of being overheard.

Ferncloud, lying in her nest sleepily, jerked up at the confession. "Spiderleg?" She asked, blinking her pale green eyes. "As in my kit, Spiderleg? Black tom?" The queen demanded curiously. At Daisy's nod, she lit up with joy. "StarClan, I am so relieve. I thought he would never get a mate." Meeting Daisy's eyes, she meowed mischievously. "So, when will the kits come?"

Sorreltail curled her tail up in delight at the thought of more kits in the Clan as Daisy's whiskers twitched shyly. "That is great news, Daisy." She meowed brightly. "They will definitely have your courage and gentleness." She watched as the cream pelted queen looked up shyly.

Ferncloud purred in joy. "They will be the best cats in the Clans with you and Spiderleg as their parents." The gray flecked queen lazily drew a paw over her whiskers. "And no doubt they will be immensely courageous and kind." She looked at Daisy sharply as the other queen made a noise of protest. "What's wrong?"

"I am not courageous. I am the biggest mouse-hearted cat in the Clans." Daisy protested in her soft voice. "I don't even fight."

Bristling, Sorreltail had to consciously flatten her neck fur in order not to scare her kits. "You don't have to fight to be courageous, Daisy." She meowed. "You were brave enough to take your kits into the forest even when you didn't know how your arrival would be received."

Daisy curled into a ball, tucking her tail close to her with a small 'Thank you' before she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

"Spiderleg should treat her right." Ferncloud growled low in her throat. Her tail twitched as she gazed at the cream queen. "I will claw him if he treats her badly."

Sorreltail purred, her eyes once again rested on her kits. "I will help you." She offered before an idea formed in her head. "How about I ask Spiderleg to look after my kits? It will be good preparation for him and I haven't been out in the forest for a long time." She gathered her kits around as Ferncloud gave a small nod. "Come on, dears…" Murmuring, she nosed the kits toward the entrance.

Honeykit, however, pouted at the thought of going outside. "But I don't want to go outside. I want to stay here." The she-kit protested; her fluffy tail dropped in sadness.

Poppykit nudged her sister with her small pink nose. "But Rainwhisker is out there with Papa. They will play with us." The tortoiseshell kit meowed brightly as she raced after Cinderkit and Molekit who had already begun to bother apprentices and warriors.

Sorreltail let her kits bothered the others while she scanned the camp for Spiderleg. Her whiskers twitched in amusement when she saw Spiderleg talking with Rainwhisker near the warriors' den with Poppykit and Honeykit pouncing toward them while their other littermates followed.

"Rainwhisker! Rainwhisker!" Cinderkit yowled as she charged toward the black tom who bent down to give her a small greeting lick. "Will you take us out to hunt?" She gave a little bounce in excitement while Rainwhisker purred, flicking his tail away from Molekit's reach.

"Certainly not!" Spiderleg answered for his clanmate. He flicked his tail crossly when the kits looked at him with pouty eyes. "Kits should stay in the nursery until they are apprenticed."

Pleasantly, Sorreltail strolled toward them with her tail high in the air. "Well, then you can look after them, Spiderleg." She meowed neutrally, giving Rainwhisker a nod in greeting. At the annoyed look on the said warrior's face, she flattened her ears. "Is watching our kits not important to you? Or do you think they should be left alone, unsupervised?"

Rainwhisker laid his tail on her shoulder as he gently soothed her. "We will watch them. Go and do what you need." He promised, ear twitched toward Brackenfur who appeared through the thorn tunnel with his patrol, carrying prey.

Giving her brother a loving lick, Sorreltail bounced to where Brackenfur was deposing his prey. Wounding herself around him, purring back a greeting, she mumbled. "I know you've just returned from a hunting patrol but I wonder if you would like to hunt with me."

Brackenfur's eyes lit up with joy but then, he calmed down and asked. "What about our kits?" Fretting, he turned to the nursery only to stop midway when he saw their kits playing with Rainwhisker and Spiderleg. Honeykit and Poppykit tried to catch Rainwhisker's tail while Molekit and Cinderkit tried to get onto Spiderleg's back.

"They will be looked after." Sorreltail promised, following her mate's gaze. Wounding her tail around his, she purred softly. "Are we going or not?"

Catching her eyes with his, Brackenfur let out a small nod. "Of course we are." A purr rumbling in his throat as he and his mate headed toward the thorn barrier, flanks pressing close and tails entwined.

* * *

Molekit watched as her parents left the camp side by side, his small tail flickering at all the things he and his littermates could do. He stumbled as Cinderkit crashed into him. With a protest, he untangled himself away from his sister and shook away the dirt that clung to his pelt.

"Cinderkit!" Came Rainwhisker's voice. The black tom was at his side, wounding himself around the little kit. "Don't play so rough with your brother!" He scolded the gray kit who did look a bit apologetic but nevertheless, blinked her big blue eyes at him and Rainwhisker basically melt at the cute face Cinderkit made.

Molekit let out a small _mrrw_ of laughter as he watched Rainwhisker scolded Cinderkit gently. Rainwhisker was always so kind and loving toward them. "Rainwhisker, can we take a small peek into the warriors' den?" He used his best kit eyes, blinking cutely at his mother's littermate, who seemed so torn that Molekit actually felt sorry, just a little bit until his curiosity and mischievousness won out.

"Please, Rainwhisker!" Cinderkit pleaded, eyes rounded with innocence and Molekit was in awe of her persuasiveness when Rainwhisker softened visibly, looking to Spiderleg who was busy trying to keep his tail away from Honeykit and Poppykit's paws.

"No!" Spiderleg scowled which turned into a grunt when Poppykit pounced on his tail and Honeykit followed her lead, together, they pinned the black tail down with victorious meows, resulting in Spiderleg painfully tried to get them off. "Gah, get off my tail!"

Amused, Molekit watched Rainwhisker gently getting his littermates away from Spiderleg's tail and cheerfully nosed them toward the warriors' den with Spiderleg scowling behind. "See you later, Spiderleg!" Cinderkit called after the black tom when he trotted toward the fresh-kill pile and Molekit sniffled a _mrrw_ of amusement when Spiderleg didn't look back but instead lashed his tail violently.

Somehow, Rainwhisker successfully sneaked them into the warriors' den without any cat noticing, which, to Molekit was not a really great feat but impressive nonetheless when they saw several cats sleeping in the den.

"Why are they asleep?" Honeykit whispered softly as she tried to prod a cat that looked like Brackenfur and was stopped by a frantic Rainwhisker whothen turned to keep Cinderkit on pouncing on a white tom who laid curled in his nest next to a ginger and white she-cat.

"Hush!" Rainwhisker meowed quietly as he gathered the kits around. His tail flickered with tension as the kits settled down in front of him. "Listen, Firestar will have me back on apprentice's duty sooner than you can say 'mouse' if anyone finds out about this." He hissed worriedly.

Molekit flicked his tail gleefully as he thought of Rainwhisker taking fresh-kill to the elders, cleaning the elders' nests and picking ticks out of the elders' pelts. He had to stop himself from meowing out-loud at the thought and caught the irritated-yet loving-eyes of Rainwhisker.

"If you think this is funny, wait until you are apprentices." He grumbled, wounding his tail around himself. "I hope you all get a strict mentor." He muttered, trailing his eyes cautiously over his clanmates' slumbering forms.

Molekit nearly jumped out of his pelt when a strict voice sounded at the entrance of the den while he was watching a tabby warrior's tail flickering in his sleep. "And I hope Cloudtail is ready to mentor you again."

At the entrance of the den was a muscular brown she-cat who frowned disapprovingly at the young warrior and the kits. Her voice woke the others as they stirred in their nests, a few staring curiously at the kits.

"What is it, Mousefur?" Cloudtail, the white tom yawningly asked as he smoothed his whiskers with one paw. "What is so important that you interrupt our nap? I was on guard when you were asleep." He grumpily demanded.

The white she-cat with ginger patches who had been napping beside him curiously twitched her whiskers at the kits and Molekit had to stop himself from wrinkling his nose at the horrible shape of her face. It was horribly scarred and Molekit could swear she had lost an eye and half of her face. Poppykit, whoever, was less tactful as she shrieked out-loud.

The she-cat winced and hid behind the white tom who glared at the small she-kit, tail lashing furiously. "Leave!" He growled, warping his tail around the huddled bundle of fur behind him, blue eyes glaring at the small tortoiseshell-and-white.

Poppykit quietly moved along as Rainwhisker gently nosed them out of the den. Molekit pouted as he followed his sister's lead. What had Cloudtail reacted with so much anger? Poppykit couldn't be blamed. Who wouldn't shriek at a sight like that?

"You shouldn't do that, Poppykit." Rainwhisker scolded as they sat beneath the Highledge, listening to Mousefur reporting the situation back to Firestar. "Brightheart will be sad for days and Cloudtail will never forgive you." The black tom fussed worriedly.

Cinderkit, however, didn't look fazed at the encounter with Brightheart, the scarred-face-cat. She flicked her tail curiously, whiskers twitching. "Why haven't we seen her before?" She asked thoughtfully. "We have opened our eyes five sunrises ago and left the nursery three sunrises ago and still, we haven't seen her until now."

"Maybe she didn't want us to see her?" Molekit offered lamely, ears flattened to his head as his littermates all turned to him. "I mean if I were her, I wouldn't want anyone to see my face." He shuddered at the thought of what their mother would do when she returned.

"But if Poppykit hadn't shrieked, we would have been in less trouble." Honeykit pouted, flicking her tail at her sister who growled and pounced on her. "Hey, I was right!"

"Stop it you two!" The two kits stopped fighting as the ginger pelted leader broke away from his conversation with Mousefur and shot them a warning look. "Have Sorreltail never told you about Brightheart's injuries?" He demanded furiously, his ears flattening against his head.

Molekit, scuffled the dirt with a paw, thinking back if Sorreltail had said something about a Brightheart. The name sounded familiar though he couldn't remember. Honeykit and Poppykit seemed to be recalling as well but Cinderkit only twitched her ears, blinking her blue eyes.

"That must be a no then." Firestar sighed, his tail flicking tensely as Cloudtail, the white tom, approaching them. Trailing behind him was the white with ginger patches she-cat who had her eyes on her paws.

Mousefur nodded a greeting to cats before retreating to her nest in the warriors' den, her brown tail lashed as she disappeared into the den.

As Cloudtail's eyes landed on the kits, they narrowed into chips of ice and a growl sounded in his throat, making Poppykit whimpered next to Molekit and she pressed closer to her brother. Honeykit warped her tail around Poppykit's comfortingly while Cinderkit blinked her blue eyes at the white tom.

"Hi!" The gray tabby kit cried in a friendly manner. "I haven't seen you before." She meowed to the she-cat behind Cloudtail who looked at her timidly with her blue eye. "My name is Cinderkit. You are Brightheart, right?"

Eyes rounded in surprised, Molekit seized his sister by the tail and yanked her away from the newly arriving cats. Warping his tail around her mouth, silencing her protests, Molepaw embarrassedly muttered an apology.

Rainwhisker flicked his tail apologetically as he nosed the kits toward the nursery. "I'm so sorry." He meowed to the leader. "I will escort them back to their nest before joining you for my…punishment." The words seemed to be stuck in his throat as Molekit slipped into the nursery with his sisters.

* * *

Sorreltail returned from hunting with Brackenfur with a plump vole in her jaw, tail curling happily behind her as she carefully deposited the prey onto the fresh-kill pile. She even shared a long loving look with Brackenfur before retreating to the nursery. And that was when she heard about what had happened when she was away.

She had marched her kits out of the nursery, to where Brightheart was chilling with her mate and made them apologize to the older she-cat. All the while, the Clan was watching the kits' every movement. That and Firestar said they would be apprenticed half a moon after their sixth moon.

Molekit was crushed… Honeykit and Poppykit bowed their head in shame while Cinderkit wailed about the unfairness of the situation until Sorreltail hushed her.

Rainwhisker wasn't in a much better situation than the kits. He was demoted to an apprentice for half a moon and it would be an understatement to say he loathed every moment of it. However, he still showed the same kindness toward his littermate's kits and still brought them the tastiest prey he could find.

* * *

Time passed slower than Molekit would like. But at last, the day had come. The day when he and his littermates were officially apprentices of ThunderClan. His littermates were excited, talking about which cat they would like to be their mentor.

Honeykit wanted Sandstorm to be her mentor; the brown tabby cat was absolutely hero-worshipping their leader's mate after the time Sandstorm hauled a plump squirrel back after one of her hunts. Meanwhile Poppykit wanted Brackenfur or Sorreltail as her mentor but was shot down as kin didn't mentor kin. Cinderkit was wishing to be Firestar's apprentice and said she got a feeling he would be a great mentor. Molekit didn't have a preference but personally, he knew who would be one of the new mentors.

And that cat was, ironically, Cloudtail. Molekit had seen the way he silently observed Cinderkit. His eyes would occasionally follow the gray tabby calculatingly as she stalked fallen leaves with her littermates in the clearing. As Cloudtail had already had a mate, Molekit didn't have to worry about the possibility that he was observing Cinderkit as a tom would carefully watch his future mate. That only left the explanation that Cloudtail wanted Cinderkit to be his apprentice.

Molekit's suspicion was proven when he overheard Cloudtail talking to Brackenfur about Cinderkit. The white tom had asked his father's about Cinderkit's preference about her future mentor, to which Brackenfur had queried if Cloudtail wanted to mentor his daughter and got a 'yes' in respond. After that, the golden brown tabby had rolled his eyes and told his white pelted Clanmate to go to Firestar and offered to be his gray tabby daughter's mentor.

Well, it wasn't Molekit's problem who his sister's mentor was, but he was wondering who would Cinderkit be paired up with. Cinderkit was a fluffy ball of energy to only a few could withstand her enthusiasm. He just hoped Cloudtail knew what he was getting himself into.

Sorreltail groomed them carefully with the help of her mate while their kits groaned and complained that they could groom themselves. Outside the nursery, the Clan was waiting for them.

As Sorreltail finished fixing a tuff of fur that stuck out weirdly on Poppykit's flank, a yowl from the Highledge indicated the time had come. Proudly, Molekit raised his head as their parents escorted him and his littermates outside.

"I am proud of you." Brackenfur murmured to them before slipping back to the crowd of cats beneath the Highledge with his mate who looked ready to burst with pride.

Firestar jumped off the Highledge and landed in front of the kits. The morning light set his pelt ablaze like a brand of fire as he called on the ancient words of the apprentice ceremony.

"Molekit, Honeykit, Poppykit and Cinderkit, you have long passed the age of six moons. It is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Molepaw, Honeypaw, Poppypaw and Cinderpaw." The ginger leader spoke solemnly, his green eyes glinting in delight of the thought of having more apprentices in the Clan.

Turning his head to the cats waiting at the base of the Highledge, he beckoned them closer by his tail. One by one, the four cats, namely, Rainwhisker, Sandstorm, Thornclaw and Cloudtail, approached.

"Rainwhisker, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Cloudtail and you have shown yourself to be brave and loyal. You will apprentice Molepaw and I hope you pass all you know to him."

The black tom dipped his head at the leader's words and gingerly, Molepaw approached his mentor and touched his nose to Rainwhisker's, a purr rumbling in his throat. This was a pleasant surprise that Firestar let Rainwhisker mentor one of his sister's kits but Molepaw didn't mind. He was looking forward to his apprenticeship.

The ceremony went on…

"Sandstorm, you are ready to take on an apprentice now that Sorreltail is a warrior. You have received excellent training from Whitestorm and you have shown yourself to be courageous and skilled in battle. You will apprentice Honeypaw and I hope you pass all you know to her."

Sadness flickered in both the leader and his mate's eyes as the name of Sandstorm's former mentor was spoken. Regardless, Honeypaw went and touched nose with Sandstorm with her tail held high with pride.

"Thornclaw, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Mousefur and you have shown yourself to be loyal and intelligent. You will be Poppypaw's mentor and I expect you pass all you know to her."

Mousefur sat up straighter in the crowd as Poppypaw went to greet her new mentor. The old wiry brown she-cat looked proud as her former apprentice got an apprentice of his own and her tail curled in delight behind her.

"Cloudtail, you are ready to take on an apprentice now that Rainwhisker is a warrior. I believe I have done a great job in mentoring you and you have shown yourself to be courageous and independent. You will be Cinderpaw's mentor and I expect you pass all you know to her."

Cinderkit blinked owlishly before approaching the white tom to touch nose with him. She seemed to be not expecting to get Cloudtail as a mentor though she didn't seem to mind being Cloudtail's apprentice as she had already looking at her mentor with shining eyes.

"Molepaw! Honeypaw! Poppypaw! Cinderpaw!"

The Clan yowled their names to the sky, acknowledging them as apprentices of ThunderClan. In the crowd, Sorreltail leaned into Brackenfur as together, they greeted the new apprentices who were their own flesh and blood.

Molepaw didn't think he had seen his parents this happy.

Everything was perfect…


	4. Chapter 4

Truthfully, Whitewing never thought she would have a mate. Brightheart would probably scold her if she knew. The white with ginger patches she-cat had always said Whitewing was the most beautiful cat in the Clan, having her father's white snowy pelt.

Personally, Whitewing disagreed…

And she felt horrible for disagreeing with her mother…

There were great warriors who had snowy white pelt like she did. Like Whitestorm, the deputy before Graystripe, he was a big tom with a white pelt and yellow eyes and he was wise and courageous, well; at least that was what she had heard from others.

And of course, Frostfur, the strong-willed white pelted elder who had volunteered to stay behind when they were leaving the forest in order not to slow others down. Whitewing had heard from other cats, namely Firestar about how Frostfur had convinced Brindleface to take Cloudtail in when he was a kit.

Or Cloudtail, her own father, who came from a Twoleg den but had striven to be one of the best warriors in ThunderClan. Sure, he had flaws that he was not proud of but in the end, he was as loyal as any Clan-born cats.

Or Snowbird from ShadowClan, who was a formidable warrior despite the color of her pelt, from what Whitewing had heard.

Whitewing knew she shouldn't feel ashamed because of the pelt she inherited from her father but every time she was out hunting, the taunting of Spiderleg and Shrewpaw when they were sharing a den came to her mind.

"Your white pelt will scare all the prey before you can spot them, Whitekit." Spiderleg, who had been Spiderkit then, had scowled when she asked to play warrior-and-mouse with him and Shrewkit.

Shrewkit had looked thoughtful but nodded in agreement with his littermate. "He is right, you know. Your pelt makes you more visible to prey and alert them of your presence." He had explained, more gently than his brother.

And Whitewing loathed every moment of it. She stuck out because of her white pelt, never been able to blend into the surroundings, thus she had to work twice or maybe thrice harder than her Clanmates in order to hunt for her Clan.

And then, Shrewpaw died, hit by a monster. Spiderpaw was made a warrior, renamed Spiderleg and moved to the warriors' den.

Whitewing, who was called Whitepaw then, was left alone in the apprentices' den.

Until Birchfall, or Birchpaw back then, came…

* * *

At first, she would thought Birchpaw would tease her because of her white pelt but he only regarded her with wide amber eyes with admiration sparkling in them as she caught a plump squirrel on their first hunt together.

"Whitepaw is good, don't you think?" Ashfur had praised her, glancing at his apprentice. "You don't want to lose to her, do you?" He asked Birchpaw who blinked owlishly at his fellow apprentice before curling his tail in delight, whiskers twitching.

"I think she is great!" He had blurred out before sheepishly adverted his eyes, spluttering about spotting a vole and swiftly disappeared into a clump of ferns, leaving Ashfur padding after him, meowing with laughter.

Brackenfur had looked at her with amusement gleaming in his eyes, his paw kneading the ground. "My, seems like you have charmed out newest apprentice." He meowed playfully while Whitepaw flattened her ears to her head embarrassedly.

She had thought it was just a crush back then. Until Birchpaw began sharing tongues with her… She didn't think much about it, thinking that they were denmates, sharing tongues was inevitable.

And somehow, she started falling for Birchpaw. Maybe it was because of the way he was always being nice to her, always reserving the best prey he could find when she was busy taking care of the elders and kits or the way he always eager to help out, to spend time with her. Or maybe it was because they were the only apprentices in the Clan for quite some time until the newer apprentices joined them in the apprentices' den.

She had brought it up with Brightheart, who gently gave her a lick and lovingly explained. "I wouldn't say it is love as you are only an apprentice right now. But feelings are always tricky, my dear kit." Her tail had snaked around Whitepaw and she happily leaned into her mother. "If you are comfortable with it, give it a try. If not, tell him that you are not interested."

Whitepaw had looked at her mother with her huge green eyes. "But what if he becomes sad? Would he hate me? What if I tell him and he won't accept it? I don't think I'm ready for this." She pleaded, wishing she could be back to her younger days without any care except when her next meal was and where her favorite moss-ball was.

Brightheart had meowed with gentle laughter as she rested her head onto her daughter's. "If he is sad, he will learn to get over it. No one can be sad forever." Then, her blue eye sharpened and she looked like a fierce warrior on the battlefield, not the usual gentle Brightheart. "If he won't accept it, your father and I will have a stern talk with him."

With that, the weight in her heart had been eased…

She chose to give it a try and found out it was the best decision she had ever made.

* * *

That was until Birchpaw was made a warrior named Birchfall and befriended Berrynose…

To say Berrynose was a bad influence was an understatement…

Birchfall became more hot-headed and eager to fight though in regard of Whitewing, he was as gentle as ever.

Until Whitewing was given an apprentice before him...

He gave her the cold treatment for a dozen sunrises and Whitewing was sad, even heartbroken. Birchfall did everything with Berrynose, sharing tongues, sharing prey, going on patrols together.

Cloudtail had confronted her, asking if she was fine and if she needed some cats clawed. Apparently, he had seen how detached Birchfall and Whitewing were and was afraid his daughter got her heart broken.

"Really, Whitewing, just give me a word and I will claw him." He had muttered when they were sharing tongues in a patch of sunlight and Birchfall and Berrynose passed, carrying moss in their jaws. "I don't mind being demoted to an apprentice as a punishment."

Whitewing truly appreciated her father's concern but she was a grown cat. She could take care of herself. "Cloudtail, if I want, I can claw him myself." She reminded him gently. Her eyes grew sad as she watched Birchfall disappeared into the elders' den with Berrynose. "Just give him time, he will come around."

Brackenfur joined the conversation with a snort. "That one is as stubborn as his father." He warned; eyes flickering to Dustpelt who was deposited his catch onto the fresh-kill pile. "You might want to consider some other tom as your future mate should he not come around." He advised.

Cloudtail flicked him briefly with his tail, whiskers twitching. "Personally, I think Ashfur is a great cat. And he is not tied down at the moment." He suggested, eyes turned to the gray tom who was ready to set out with a patrol.

Wrinkling her nose, Whitewing had pushed away her father's suggestion. "He is as old as you, Cloudtail." She meowed briskly. "And I don't think he is over Squirrelflight."

The conversation was brought to a close at that, when Sorreltail pounced over to her mate side with an affectionate purr.

Suddenly, Whitewing wondered if she would ever have a mate as caring as her old mentor's.

* * *

A few sunrises after the conversation with Brackenfur and Cloudtail, Birchfall approached her timidly, which, Whitewing noted was quite out-of-character of him. He invited her on a hunt with him and she had glanced nervously at her parents, who she had been talking with. Brightheart had nodded encouragingly while Cloudtail narrowed his eyes at the brown tabby tom.

"Ok, I will come with you." She had agreed with a sigh, noting how Birchfall lit up with joy.

He had apologized for his behavior and asked for her forgiveness. He sounded truly sincere, making her asked herself that if something big had happened.

Nevertheless, Whitewing had blinked in surprised before a purr rumbling in her throat. Wounding herself around him, she nuzzled him tenderly, drowning in his throaty purr.

"Give me time." He had whispered. "I will prove I am a good mate." He had looked at her with such tender in his eyes that she felt like melting. "Will you take me as your mate then?"

Heart bursting with joy, Whitewing uttered the one thing in her mind.

"Yes."

* * *

Since then, Birchfall had tried harder than she had ever seen. He went on patrols, brought back a lot of prey and generally proving he was capable of taking care of her. Even Cloudtail, her grumpy father, was impressed with his devotion.

"He reminds me of your father." Brightheart had said when they were together on patrol with Brackenfur and Icepaw.

"Oh, really?" She had replied with interest and watched as Brightheart sighed dreamily while Brackenfur twitched his whiskers and Icepaw perked up at the thought of a story.

"Yes, dear. Your father is devoted." Her mother had sighed pleasantly. "He is a constant in my life, one that can never truly be replaced. Like you." Suddenly, Brightheart's eye was on her. "Listen to your heart, dear daughter of mine." She advised before they resumed their border patrol.

Whitewing approached Birchfall after the patrol. The tom was helping Ferncloud with the moss in the nursery, nosing a bundle of moss out of the nursery. Heart fluttering, she approached the tabby.

"Oh, Whitewing!" He exclaimed as he saw her and abandoned his job, eagerly pouncing to her side. She greeted him with a small lick and he purred, nuzzling her. "How was the patrol?" He asked tenderly, eyes shining with warmth.

Purring, she replied. "Brightheart gave me good advices." She gently pressed her muzzle to his ear, basking in his comforting scent, one of the only scents beside her parents' that could calm her instantly.

"Oh?" She felt his interest but he didn't pry. A small part of her yowled in childish joy, looking forward to surprise him with her most recent choice.

"Will you walk beside me until the days we join StarClan?" Nuzzling the tom, she murmured softly, momentarily ignored the eyes that rested on them.

She sensed the vibration when Birchfall purred back a reply. His tongue rasped softly over her ear, the tom rumbled a reply. "I would be honor to."

The heart-felt moment was broken by a yowl of joy from Brightheart and Ferncloud. Both had their tail curled up in delight as they purred their happiness out loud.

Whitewing saw Cloudtail giving her a nod and a small glare at Birchfall. His glare lessened when Firestar put his tail on his shoulder, murmuring softly to his kin. Finally, the white tom trudged after Brightheart in order to congratulate their kit.

Sending a grateful look to Firestar, she could tell the ginger leader was stifling a small _mrrw_ of laughter.

* * *

Soon, Whitewing found herself in the medicine den with Leafpool hovering nearby, meowing happily about kits and all. To be honest, she didn't listen to a word the medicine cat was saying. She was busy purring with joy at the mere thought of kits, Birchfall's and hers.

News travelled fast as Birchfall came to her side, after his patrol, when she was sharing tongue with Daisy outside the nursery. His pawsteps were light, hurried and filled with joy. He settled down beside her with throaty purrs.

Daisy's eyes lit up with mischief as she got to her paws and bid them farewell, saying she had something to take care of and whisked away, leaving the happy couple behind.

"So, when will you move to the nursery?" Birchfall started the conversation quite awkwardly. His amber eyes gleamed with unsuppressed joy. He was purring non-stop and honestly, Whitewing found that quite endearing.

"I can still do my duties, Birchfall." She meowed gently, brushing her plump tail across his glossy brown tabby pelt. She was thrilled about the thought of being a mother but she would like to enjoy being a warrior until she was ready to move to the nursery.

Birchfall seemed to be pouting but he relented nonetheless. Nuzzling the white she-cat, he murmured. "I will find some soft feathers to line your nest." He mused. "Oh, and I should concentrate on hunting. Whitewing, I will make sure you get the best prey."

With that joyful thought, Birchfall got to his paws and pounced toward where Brambleclaw was speaking with Firestar.

Whitewing had moved to the nursery when she realized she was not fit for warrior duties, being too tired for patrols and too slow to hunt. That and the death of a Clanmate, Ashfur's, weighed heavily on her mind.

Ashfur and her was not close but they were basically kin as Ashfur's mother, Brindleface, had suckled Cloudtail, Whitewing's father when he arrived at ThunderClan as a kit. Cloudtail was saddened at his adopted littermate's death but Brightheart and Whitewing were there to support him.

Ferncloud, Ashfur's littermate did not fare better than her adopted littermate, resulting in her mate, Dustpelt and children, Spiderleg, Birchfall, Icepaw and Foxpaw constantly looking out for her, sharing her sadness.

Cloudtail and Ferncloud did get along better during those days, without Cloudtail snapping at the gray queen. Actually, Whitewing thought her father was so saddened by Ashfur's death that he hadn't snapped much as he used to.

* * *

And suddenly, Birchfall was sent on a patrol after Sol, the mysterious cat that had appeared in their territory and warned them about the disappearance of the sun.

Firestar had sat down beside her, a sunrise after Birchfall left. The ginger tabby had rested his tail on her back as they lied in a sunny spot in front of the nursery.

"Whitewing, I know you are not happy about Birchfall's leaving." He began quietly. His leaf green eyes met hers. "I'd rather send another cat but Birchfall needs experiences."

Nodding quietly, Whitewing watched as Jayfeather slid out from the thorn tunnel with marigold leaves in his jaws. "I understand your reasoning, Firestar." She meowed after a moment of silence. "I hope he returns soon, preferably before my kitting."

"I am sure he will return before then." Firestar replied confidently, stroking her flank comfortingly with his ginger tail. "In the worst scenario, you still have your Clanmates. Leafpool and Jayfeather would do their best to deliver your kits. Ferncloud and Daisy would guide you through motherhood. Not mention Brightheart too! She would spoil the little ones rotten." The ginger tom let out a small _mrrw_ of laughter as Whitewing twitched her whiskers in humor.

"Thanks, Firestar." Whitewing meowed gratefully with a small flick of her plump white tail. She had no doubt her kits would be well-loved and well-cared of. With the help of her Clanmates, the kits she would bear would become great cats who would make ThunderClan stronger than ever.

After a small moment of peaceful silent, Whitewing poked Firestar softly with her tail. "I know we don't normally name kits before they are born but what do you think of Dovekit?" She asked curiously, waiting to see how her ginger kin would react.

The tom blinked his leaf green eyes and titled his head in thought. "Dovekit? Are you hoping for your kit to be swift and graceful like a dove?" He meowed after a thoughtful moment. "You hope they could rely on their own wings to lift them, soaring high and grasping any opportunity in life, aren't you?"

Whitewing dipped her head gracefully. "I want the best for my kits." She admitted. "Also, I heard from Brightheart that Cloudtail used to mistake doves for pigeons. I love him but sometimes, the urge to spite him is too much to ignore."

Firestar meowed with laughter, his ears flattened to his head. "Oh, I remember that." His whiskers twitched, tail curled up as he reveled in the memory. "Your father was such a difficult apprentice back then."

Whitewing was about to ask his opinion about another name she thought of but was interrupted by Graystripe returning with his patrol. Her heart sunk as Firestar excused himself and padded over to greet Graystripe and listen to the gray tom's report.

She missed talking to her kin. They were always busy with something. Firestar was the Clan leader so it was quite understandable and Leafpool was a medicine cat so they couldn't talk much as the brown tabby was busy in fetching herbs and dealing with injuries. Whitewing still couldn't believe how alike Leafpool and Princess were.

And then, there was Squirrelflight, who she talked to more often but the ginger she-cat was out on a patrol. Squirrelflight seemed so unsettled recently that Whitewing could have sworn the bushy tail she-cat was in some type of crisis. She had asked Squirrelflight once, a few sunrises ago but the ginger cat had brushed her off before joining a patrol.

Whitewing sighed. It felt like the calm before a terrible storm. Ruefully, she wondered if her kits would be involved. She hoped not…

* * *

Thankfully, Birchfall came back before her kitting. Whitewing thanked StarClan silently as the brown tabby returned with no serious wound except sore pads and a few cuts.

They had spent a long time talking in Whitewing's nest in the nursery with purrs and nuzzles. Ferncloud and Daisy didn't mind one bit. They had moved to the warriors' den for the night, Ferncloud curled up next to her mate and Whitewing lent Daisy her nest.

The painful part was the labor. And Whitewing couldn't help but shudder when she thought back of the process of bringing her young kits into the world. It was painful and long but Whitewing was satisfied when two lovely kits were brought to the world by Leafpool and Jayfeather's capable paws.

Birchfall was the first to barge into the nursery after the medicine cats allowed visitors. He had melt at the sight of the newborn kits and purring none stop until Whitewing reminded him that the young ones needed names.

He had looked sheepishly at his paws and muttered. "I haven't thought of any decent name for our kits." His ears flattened to the top of his head but a small purr still escaped from his throat.

"How about Dovekit for the little gray one?" She had suggested. "I want her to be like a dove, graceful and swift and able to grasp any success no matter how far-fetched it is."

Birchfall had purred in agreement before studying the small silver-and-white tabby she-kit. "How about the other one? In my opinion, I think Ivykit suits her." He stopped at that and looked at her embarrassedly. "Or, if you want to name her Silverkit or something like that, feel free to go ahead. I wasn't there when you were nursing them."

Whitewing swiped a sheathed paw at him. "You were away on a patrol for ThunderClan, Birchfall! The Clan comes first. And I was well-cared for. Everyone was really nice." She reminded him quite forcefully. "Now, if we are calling her Ivykit, I would like to know the reasons why you picked that name."

Birchfall averted his eyes and meowed softly. "I wish for her to grow up with determination like ivy clinging stubbornly to a tree. She will need determination to achieve her dreams, whatever they are."

Whitewing brushed her tail along his flank. "It doesn't matter if they choose to be a warrior or a medicine cat." She murmured softly. "I want them to live their lives happily, devoted to their Clan and their mates, if they have any, and die of old age."

"Don't worry, Whitewing…" Birchfall soothed her softly with a small purr. "I will protect you and them. You three are the most precious cats to me." His tail snaked around hers and a small purred escaped her throat.

Twtiching her whiskers, Whitewing rolled her eyes. "Birchfall, I am very happy to hear that but you know I can hold my own well." She meowed before turning to nudge Dovekit, a small gray fluff closer to her belly as the gray kit started mewling.

Birchfall touched his muzzle to her ear, a purr rumbling in her throat. "Of course, Whitewing." He meowed. "But I will be there should you need me. I promised to beside you until we join StarClan." After a moment, he added. "Honestly, I don't think I could even think of a life without you, Whitewing. Even if I am a StarClan cat…"

Whitewing was silent by the confession and after a while, she dipped her head. "I am honor and would like to tell you that your feelings are fully reciprocated." With that, she nuzzled him before murmuring. "I think it is time to announce the kits' name to the Clan, don't you think?"

She watched as Birchfall hastily got to his paws before bidding her a heart-felt farewell, promising he would be back later.

* * *

Everything came crashing down when it was revealed that the Dark Forest was invading.

Dovewing and Ivypool had pulled Birchfall and her away after she had conferred with Firestar, to a quieter place to discuss. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Lionblaze and his littermates, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf slipped into the camp with the deputy, Brambleclaw and Firestar's kits, Squirrelflight and Leafpool.

Bile churned in her stomach as she realized Lionblaze, Jayfeather and Hollyleaf hardly talked to their adopted parents and their birth mother except during training sessions or Clan-related things. And she was more sickened when she thought of the coincidence that their daughters wanted to talk to her about something.

She prayed to StarClan that, since they often met up with Lionblaze and Jayfeather in secret, none of them were expecting Lionblaze's or, StarClan forbid, Jayfeather's kits.

"Whitewing, Birchfall, we want to tell you something." Dovewing began with a small touch of fear in her voice as she subconsciously pressed closer to her littermate.

"I will never hate you or abandon you even if you are expecting Jayfeather's kits." Whitewin replied softly. The last thing she wanted was for her daughters to be shunned by the Clan that brought them up. "If that is the case, we will find a way to cover you."

She was shocked when her daughters met her determined green eyes with their own wide ones and Birchfall let out a yelp of surprise. "It is not like that!" Ivypool insisted, looking terrified at the thought. "We are not that mouse-brain!"

Dovewing nodded as she added. "There is something else I want to tell you." With her littermate's tail on her shoulder, she meowed. "There is a prophecy that involves me and Lionblaze and Jayfeather."

"Dovewing, please explain." Whitewing meowed softly as she leaned onto Birchfall who stared wide-eyed at the gray she-cat.

"It is a prophecy about three kits, all of whom are Firestar's kin, who have the powers of Stars in their paws." Dovewing explained. "They are Lionblaze, Jayfeather and I. We are supposed to stop the Dark Forest, which is where evil cats go to, from destroying the Clans, including StarClan."

"Dovewing has powers." Ivypool chimed in helpfully. "So are Lionblaze and Jayfeather. And I am in the Dark Forest to spy." She meowed but from the way she kept glancing at Birchfall, Whitewing had to wonder what happened between her mate and her daughter that she didn't know.

"Powers?" Birchfall asked, his neck fur fluffed up, and he purposefully evading Ivypool's glances.

Dovewing nodded with her head down. "I can hear things from far away." She clarified quietly. "And Jayfeather can slip into dreams. And Lionblaze is kind of invincible." She murmured under her breath.

Taking a deep breath, Whitewing approached her daughters and gave each of them a loving lick as if they were still little kits. "You are too young for this burden." She murmured. With shimmering green eyes, she forced out a purr. "I am so proud of you."

* * *

It got worse after the battle…

Firestar died. Ferncloud died. Mousefur also died. And Hollyleaf… All of them died defending their Clans. Sorreltail and Foxleap died after the battle, because of their wounds.

Two of Whitewing's kin died. Firestar died saving his Clan. Hollyleaf died saving Ivypool. The grief Whitewing felt was unimaginable.

Firestar had been a wise and caring leader. ThunderClan had blossomed under his leadership. Hollyleaf was a very talented warrior with a bright future. She was one of the cats who played a major role in the Clan, teaching her Clanmates how to fight underground, thus putting a stop to WindClan's invasion. Also, Whitewing grieved for the black she-cat as, if she hadn't sacrificed herself, Ivypool would have been hunting in StarClan with the other fallen cats.

Also, Birchfall was revealed to have been in the Dark Forest. And every cat was avoiding him and those who trained in the Dark Forest, which also involved Ivypool.

She had forgiven Ivypool but Birchfall didn't tell her. She still found it hard to trust him. The Dark Forest nearly killed her kin, her parents and her siblings and her kits. She couldn't forget that. But she had heard Birchfall's reasoning and she couldn't bring herself to hate him.

"I did it so I could be a better fighter." Birchfall had confessed when she had cornered him. "I wanted to protect you and our kits." His amber eyes were full of sorrow as they met her green ones. "I am so sorry, Whitewing."

She was one of the few cats who hadn't avoided those who trained in the Dark Forest. However, she could feel the hurt they felt, being alienated in their own Clan.

Whitewing sighed as she curled herself next to Birchfall, watching Dovewing did the same for her littermate and Ivypool purred back a reply.

Sending a small prayer to StarClan for Birchfall and Ivypool and all of the cats who were led astray by the Dark Forest to be able to lead their life happily with no cat judging them, Whitewing slipped into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

At first, Daisy had been worried about raising her kits in the wilderness, without a warm nest to sleep in, without a stable place to stay in.

She didn't have a plan. She just set out with her kits and hoped those weird cats she saw would at least leave her and her kits alone.

The first encounter with those cats weren't good as they hadn't been friendly but at least she had been fast enough to get her kits away before any of them losing chumps of their fur.

"You can never last a moon on the moor." A lithe, ginger tom had sneered when he and two other cats saw her and the little kits crowding at her paws.

Daisy had known it would take a long time for her to get used to the new environment but it hurt that the ginger tom didn't even give her the chance.

She soon found out that it was hard living in the wild.

Badger attacks, Berrykit losing his tail, deaths and many other things…

But her kits lived and were happily prancing around the clearing and that made up for all the things they had gone through.

"Mama, Birchpaw said we will get to be apprentices soon." Berrykit meowed enthusiastically while Hazelkit and Mousekit were playing with a moss ball.

The little cream colored kit let out a meow of complain when Daisy touched his ear with her muzzle. "I know, Berrykit. You will be great apprentices and listen to your mentors, won't you?" She purred, watching as her fluffy son brimming with pride.

"Of course, Mama!" The little kit squeaked and his siblings echoed his words. His eyes shone with happiness. "I am the deputy's apprentice, after all!"

Hazelkit and Mousekit growled cutely because it wasn't fair that their brother got ThunderClan's deputy as his mentor while they didn't even know who would be theirs.

The kits ended up in a tussle again and Daisy sighed fondly.

"Having trouble with the kits?" Ferncloud's soothing voice came as the graceful she-cat sat down next to Daisy. Her green eyes flickered amusedly as she looked at the tussling kits.

"Not much, Ferncloud." Daisy replied, grateful for the other cat's concern. "Though I have no idea what to expect for their upcoming ceremony..." She admitted ruefully, ears flattened to her head in embarrassment.

Ferncloud flicked her whiskers but her green eyes were thoughtful. "Well, it is a shame that you couldn't witness Birchpaw's. His was just before your arrival." She mused nostalgically before turning her bright green eyes on the cream colored cat. "Well, first, you need to groom them carefully so they are presentable and their mentors will guide them through the ceremony."

"I know Brambleclaw will be Berrykit's mentor but I don't have an idea who would mentor the other two." Daisy spoke softly, carefully making sure that her kits wouldn't overhear and thankfully, they had turned their attention to a moss-ball. "Have you, by any chance, heard about it?"

Ferncloud twitched her tail in thought. "I am not sure but I know your kits will have great mentors. Brambleclaw is a good cat and he will be a good mentor to Berrykit." She said with optimism. "As for Hazelkit and Mousekit, whoever their mentors maybe, they will be in good paws. Don't worry."

"I hope so." Daisy murmured, watching as Hazelkit bounced onto Mousekit's back. "I left the horse place hoping my kits would have a good place and not being taken away by the Nofurs. They seem happy here."

Ferncloud didn't say a thing but a purr of sympathy rumbled in her throat and her soft gray tail rested briefly on Daisy's back. "They will be fine, Daisy. You will be fine." Her green eyes were warm as they met Daisy's blue ones. "You are a part of us now."

* * *

The day finally came when her precious kits left the nursery.

Firestar came the day before, asking her if her kits were ready to be apprenticed. She had twitched her whiskers amusedly before pointing her tail at the kits crowding around Sorreltail's kits, boasting that they would be warriors soon and promising that they would teach the little ones everything they learn.

"Do you really need to ask?" Daisy had purred when the ginger pelted leader dipped his head gracefully before leaving the nursery.

And so, Daisy had made sure to tell her kits and to say they were excited was an understatement. They couldn't wait for the ceremony and couldn't sleep because they were busy chatting until Daisy had managed to lure them to sleep.

Sorreltail had shot her an exasperated look and silently whispered. "Are kits always a pawful?"

Ferncloud had rumbled with laughter in her nest as she answered. "Of course but they are also precious." The she-cat's eyes were impossibly warm as they settled on the other queens.

"Of course they are. They are our blessings." Daisy had purred softly before resting her head on her paws, curling herself around the kits and let sleep claimed her.

Her kits couldn't wait for their ceremony. They couldn't sit still for their grooming and Ferncloud had offered a paw when she saw how the cream colored queen struggled to groom her energetic kits.

"I am going to be the best!" Berrykit gleefully declared as Hazelkit squirmed under Ferncloud's grooming and Mousekit pouted as Daisy groomed him.

"Berrykit, sit down or I will groom you again." Ferncloud said, releasing Hazelkit before raking her green eyes across Berrykit.

Daisy hummed as Mousekit sat down next to his siblings. "I think they are fine now." She said, proudly inspecting the kits.

"It isn't fair that we have to wait for another three moons." Honeykit pouted inside her nest before snuggling close to her mother.

Sorreltail gently nuzzled her kit. "Rules are rules, Honeykit. You will have to wait." Honeykit pouted and tucked her face in her mother's warm fur.

The bramble covered entrance rustled and a white head poked in. Cloudtail blinked when he saw the eager kits. Beside him, his mate purred amusedly.

"Normally parents would escort their kits but due to circumstances, I think Cloudtail and I should do it with Daisy." Brightheart announced before shooting Daisy a warm look.

The first time they met wasn't exactly a pleasant memory but they had rekindled. Daisy had felt bad because of her reaction in regard of Brightheart and the fact that her arrival had messed up the relationship between Cloudtail and Brightheart. The ginger and white she-cat had been very understanding and they had hitched off after that. Her kits had also gotten used to Brightheart's presence and they weren't scared of her. Not any more…

So, Brightheart and Cloudtail had become like adoptive parents for the kits and they, in turn, adored them.

Daisy was happy for them but she couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Cloudtail clearly loved Brightheart and the ginger and white warrior returned his feelings as well. Whitewing was an obvious proof of that.

Seeing her Clanmates, well, it was weird calling them that when she was an immigrant, in love was kind of great but it made her sad because even though she had kits, their father loved Floss more than her. She loved Floss and had no intention of stealing her mate away from her but she would love if some cat loved her like Cloudtail loved Brightheart.

"They are going to be great warriors." Cloudtail murmured as they ushered the kits outside. The said kits were bouncing on their paws despite Brightheart's warning to calm down.

Daisy sat through the entire ceremony, pride blossoming in her chest as she watched her kits being apprenticed to the cats who had welcomed them when they were homeless and let them eat their prey when none of them could hunt.

Hazelpaw was apprenticed to Dustpelt, Ferncloud's mate and from what she had heard, one of the most experienced warriors. Mousepaw got Spiderleg as his mentor and though Daisy had heard that Spiderleg was still a new warrior, she knew they would be a good match. And lastly, Berrykit was, as promised, apprenticed to Brambleclaw and Daisy could see the way her son's eyes shone that he was completely smitten with his mentor.

Life was good.

* * *

Daisy didn't know why Spiderleg fell for her but she hadn't denied his courting. The morning she found out she was expecting; she had been so happy. So was Leafpool as the said cat practically bouncing on her paws, saying that the Clan needed kits when Lionkit, Hollykit and Jaykit became apprentices.

Spiderleg didn't look comfortable when she told him the news but he nodded before turning back to whatever he had been doing. She had thought it was because this would be his first time being a father but as Spiderleg grew more distant every sunrise, she worried.

"Give him time, Daisy. I am sure he will come around." Ferncloud had advised gently when she confessed her worries.

Ferncloud's words reassured her but Spiderleg didn't seem to come around. He was present at their kits' birth but he had disappeared before they were named.

"We will take care of you!" Hazelpaw had declared when she and her littermates presented her a squirrel before they peered into the nest and cooed over their new half-siblings.

Rosekit and Toadkit grew up with the absence of Spiderleg and Daisy was thankful for her older kits, always being there for their younger half-siblings.

Sometimes, she couldn't help but bitterly asked herself that if it was her destiny to never had a mate who cherished her.

When Spiderleg died because of greencough, his brother, Birchfall, the only cat in his family who was still alive, came to her and said that Spiderleg had loved her very much that he even wanted to have to the chance to rekindle.

Daisy grieved but not as a mate but as a Clanmate. She was sad that they couldn't fix their relationship however they hadn't been mates after the birth of Rosepetal and Toadstep and the grief for the death of her kits, Hazeltail and Toadstep, who died in the greencough outbreak after the battle with the Dark Forest, was still fresh in her chest.

She had thought life had been good but suddenly, she lost so many.

Without Ferncloud for company, the nursery was lonelier than ever, even when others queens settled down for a few moons to raise their kits.

But life continued and during the time Squirrelflight was expecting, Daisy was so done with the stubborn she-cat.

"I can still go on patrols!" Squirrelflight had argued even when she looked ready to drop.

It took time but finally, Squirrelflight settled down and agreed to stay in the nursery and let Brackenfur took over as deputy until she was fit again.

Daisy still remembered when Brackenfur had settled down in the nursery with his kits after his mate's death. It was heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time, especially when Seedpaw died in the storm. Daisy had provided milk when the ill-fated apprentice and her littermate were still depending on milk to live so Seedpaw's death clawed at her heart as much as her own kit's.

Thus, she had advised Squirrelflight not to worry so much because if Brackenfur could handle two rowdy kits, he could handle being a deputy for a few moons.

Though Daisy was not a warrior, she couldn't say that life was easier for her. Looking after queens and kits demanded lots of energy and there were endless dramas.

Being a nursery queen was different than being a warrior, she was sure of that but if she could choose between being a warrior and a nursery queen, she would still choose the latter.

All in all, someone needed to make sure that the queens were comfortable in the nursery and the kits were properly introduced to the warrior code.


End file.
